Betty and Reggie: The Week That Changed It All
by avidreader232
Summary: When Veronica hires Reggie to keep Betty from noticing she and Archie are heading to Mauritius, he is stuck trying to pretend to be in love with her as he takes her out on dates everyday for a week. But what happens when he actually does find himself falling for her?
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

Betty stormed into the house and flung her bag in frustration on her bed. Veronica had done it again. She had called Archie as soon as she had found out that he had a date with Betty. For once, she wished Veronica would let her and Archie be. Archie had obviously stood her up again. "Why do I even bother?" she muttered under her breath as she flopped down on the bed. But she already knew the answer to that. It was because she loved him. And because she loved him and she was sick and tired of always being stood up, she had stormed off to Veronica's house when she'd found out from Jughead that that's where Archie had been headed. She had stormed in and shouted at both Veronica and Archie that she was tired of both of them hurting her like this and that she was through with them. Veronica hadn't seemed too worried until she had taken off her friendship bracelet, thrown it on the ground and walked out. Veronica had given her the bracelet when they were 9 and had suddenly developed a fondness for making bracelets. It was the first bracelet Ronnie had made and had gifted it to Betty. Betty had always cherished it and when she had left it at Ronnie's house today, Veronica had looked crushed and worried at the same time.

Betty and Veronica had been best friends for as long as she could remember and it hurt the soft spoken Betty the most to have done what she did but she had reached her breaking point that day. The more she thought about it, the worse she felt. Suddenly her phone rang. She picked it up and trying to steady her voice, muttered a hello. A familiar voice replied, "Betty?"

"Ronnie I don't really want to talk right now."

"Betty please! You have to listen to me!"

"Why? Nothing you could say or do could change my mind."

"Betty I'm sorry. I didn't realize how much I was hurting you."

"You mean you didn't care because you thought I wouldn't do anything about it."

"No Betty please!"

"Look Ronnie-"

"I'll forget about Archie!"

"What?"

Betty sat up in her bed. Was she dreaming?"

"What did you say?"

"I'll forget about him if it means saving our friendship. Betty I care about you more than I do about anyone else. And I mean it when I say I'm sorry. You can have Archie if you want."

"Ronnie I- I don't know what to say."

"Just say you forgive me. That's all I want to hear."

"Oh God Ronnie! I never thought you would do something like that for me! Of course I forgive you. And you- you mean it? About Archie I mean."

"Of course Bets! You know I could do so much better."

Betty burst into a fit of giggles at her friend's attempt at humour.

"I love you so much Ronnie!"

"I love you too! Now get your butt up here so we can go shopping for my trip to Mauritius. I have absolutely nothing to wear!"

"I'll be right there!"

Betty hung up and rubbed her eyes. She still couldn't believe what had just happened. Veronica Lodge, though her best friend, always got what she wanted and didn't really care of the means she used to get it. If she wanted Archie, she could have had him but for their friendship, she had given him up. It was the nicest thing she had ever done for Betty. Getting up, Betty went to pick out an outfit to wear to the mall, all with a large smile plastered on her face.

* * *

"What can I do you for baby doll?" Reggie smirked at the pretty brunette in front of him. "I need you to do me a favour Reg." Veronica said seemingly lost in thought. "Well..." Reggie pretended to think as he stretched his arms lazily. That morning, Veronica had called him and asked him to come over to meet her citing that it was urgent. "I'll pay you." she said flatly. "I'm listening." he grinned. "I need you to keep Betty busy for a week." she blurted. He looked at her quizzically. She sighed as she began to explain. "See I promised Betty that I would stay away from Archie just to cool her down but truth is, Archie and I are going to Mauritius on Friday. It took forever to convince Daddy to let him come with but he finally agreed. We'll be gone for a week and I don't want her to notice he's gone. I'm leaving it up to you to keep her busy. I don't care what you do but she needs to be completely occupied the whole of the week." Reggie whistled. "That's a pretty mean thing to do Ronnie." he said with a glint in his eyes, "How much money are we talking?" "A 100 bucks." "300." "Fine." Reggie was taken aback at her promptness but then again money was never a concern for Veronica Lodge.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

"Yo Bets!" she turned to see Reggie running up to her. "How you doing babe?" he grinned at her. She rolled her eyes at the casanova. Reggie was a good friend. He always had been. But that didn't really change the fact that he was an egocentric player who was too flirtatious for his own good. "Hey Reg." she smiled as she walked on with Reggie walking beside her. "I didn't know you went jogging in the morning too." she said almost accusingly. "Of course I do. I just come a little earlier usually. I didn't know you came either." he lied. She smiled, "Shall we then?" she asked as she quickened her pace to a jog. He grinned and followed suit. "So you free tomorrow?" he asked. "Umm... I don't know." she shrugged. She had been planning to call Archie as the next day Veronica would be leaving for Mauritius. Despite her having given them her blessing, Betty did not want to hurt Veronica and thus decided to wait till she left town to go out with Archie. "Well I had two tickets to that U2 concert tomorrow night." he said knowing full well that was her favourite band. Her eyes widened. "But Reg, it's impossible to get tickets. I tried!" she sputtered. "I know people." Reggie smirked. "But I don't really know who to take. So I thought maybe if you were free and if you like them that is..." he trailed off looking at her curiously. Betty blushed but didn't say anything. She was far too embarrassed to admit to Reggie that she had been upset for days after she couldn't get tickets. She didn't want to sound too desperate. "Yeah they're nice." she admitted. "So you'll come?" he asked panting and regretting lyng to her about jogging everyday. "Yeah I'd like that." she beamed. "Great so I'll pick you up by 7.00." he wheezed. "Reg you ok?" she asked looking concerned. "Yeah yeah, of course." he managed to mutter. "Ok." she said as she continued jogging. After a half hour more, she stopped and pulled out her water bottle. Reggie felt like he was going to collapse. "I should've taken more money for this." he thought trying to catch his breath and keep his consciousness. He heard someone giggle and he turned to look at Betty sitting next to him on the grass. "How long do you usually jog?" she asked looking amused. "You know, much longer than this." he tried to boast between his wheezing. She burst out laughing. "Stop kidding yourself Reg!" she chuckled. "It was fun though." she waved at him as she got up to leave, "See you tomorrow!". As soon as she was out of sight, Reggie collapsed on the grass and groaned.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Reggie slicked back his hair one last time before winking at the mirror and walking out of his house. He jumped into his convertible and pulled up to Betty's driveway. They were neighbours so it was just pulling his car out of his driveway and into hers. He got out and rang the doorbell. Betty opened the door. She had gone for a simple look. She wore a black and metallic silver sleeveless top, black pants and black heels. She, as usual, didn't have much makeup on except for a little mascara, eyeliner and lipgloss. He let out a low whistle and she smacked his arm. "Reg!" she said looking embarrassed. "What? It's a compliment." he grinned. "Just give me a sec." she said laughing as she stuck her head into the door and called, "Mom Reg is here. I'm leaving!" She closed the door behind her and went to open the car door but he beat her to it. "Why thank you." she bowed her head mockingly. "And you ladies say chivalry is dead." he sighed pretending to look offended. She chuckled as she sat down in his convertible. She had only been in it a few times before as it was usually reserved for one of Reggie's girlfriends but she always felt the same admiration for the sleek machine. "You like?" he smirked. She nodded smiling. Reggie couldn't help glance at her milky white toned arms as she stroked the seat admiringly. He found himself entranced with the way her long fingers played on the edge of the seat. A speedbump brought his attention back to the road as he cleared his throat embarrased, hoping she hadn't noticed.

It was a long drive to the arena but neither Reggie nor Betty seemed to mind. Their conversations mostly consisted of Reggie bragging and Betty teasing him about it. They were in stitches by the time they reached the arena. Reggie grinned at her, "Bet you don't enjoy yourself as much with Carrot-head." he teased her. Her expression softened. "It's different just being around him." she said dreamily, "He makes me feel all, I don't know, 'girly'." she giggled. Reggie rolled his eyes. He glanced at her and noticed her looking wide eyed at the throng of people chatting as they walked into the arena. "Are you scared of crowds?" he asked quizzically. "No it's not that. It's just, I can't believe I'm here. I've loved U2 since I was a little girl." she murmured still staring. He chuckled. "Well best believe it doll." he said as he put his arm around her waist and walked with her to the entrance. He guided her all the way to the front, very near the stage where he had managed to get seats. "Oh Reggie this is amazing!" she whispered in awe as she turned to look at him excitedly. His breath seemed to catch in his throat at the way she looked at him. Her blue eyes were sparkling as they looked at him in admiration. Though he wanted to, he couldn't look away and she was the one to turn away first.

When the band came on the stage, along with all the other screaming fans, Betty cupped her mouth and screamed too. "Geez Bets!" he said looking embarrassed but she didn't seem to care. When they performed, she danced and sang along, enjoying herself. Reggie himself wasn't a very big fan and didn't know all the words so he just tapped his foot to the music. "And for the last song of the night," Bono said into the mic as the band started playing a tune behind him. "Oh my God I love this song!" Betty screamed excitedly.

"The sea it swells like a sore head and the night it is aching

Two lovers lie with no sheets on their bed

And the day it is breaking."

Bono sang as Betty slowly started to move with the music. She waved her arms around gently and Reggie glanced at her, amused by how mesmerised she seemed to be by it.

"You're in my mind all of the time

I know that's not enough

If the sky can crack there must be someway back

For love and only love."

The song continued and Reggie glanced around to see a few couples embracing and slow dancing on the spot at the song. He grinned as he wrapped his arms around her petite waist and pulled her to him. She seemed surprised but didn't pull away. "Do you have any idea how beautiful you are?" he whispered in her ear. She shivered and tried to pull away but Reggie still held her. He wondered if the shiver was because she felt cold or because of what he had said but he hoped it was the latter. The greater effect he had on her, the greater chances she would spend the week with him and the greater chance his money would safely drift into his pocket. He smirked thinking of it but quickly wiped it off his face when he saw Betty looking at him curiously. He leaned down so his forehead was against hers and stared into her big blue eyes. He closed his eyes as he moved closer but was surprised when she pulled away. "Reg no." she muttered as she pushed him away. He moved away, slightly embarrassed by her rejection. "I'm sorry. That was way out of line." he said turning to look at the stage. When he looked back at her, he found her staring wide eyed at him. "What?" he asked puzzled. "I can't believe Reggie Mantle, casanova, apologized for trying to hit on me." she said shaking her head. "Yeah so." he mumbled turning red, "Drop it." Just then the song ended as the whole stadium burst into applause and cheered as U2 walked off stage.

The drive back home was relatively silent with Reggie mentally cursing himself for having made the wrong move. He was sure Betty would never agree to go out with him after that. As he pulled into her driveway, Betty fumbled with her seatbelt and unclasped it, before turning to him and smiling. "Thanks Reg. I had a really good time tonight." she said. He nodded, smiling back. Then to his surprise, she leaned forward and planted a kiss on his cheek. He stared at her dumbfounded as she got out of the car and with one last wave, walked into her house. A smirk slowly spread on his face. He was back in the game.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

"G'morning! Rise and shine blondie!" Betty groaned at the familiar voice on the phone. She had been awoken by the ringing of the telephone to answer it and find it was Reggie. "Reggie what time is it?" she asked groggily. "8." he replied cheerfully. She slowly sat up in bed rubbing her eyes. "Suffering from a U2 hangover, or more probably, a Reggie hangover?" he teased her. She smiled at the thought of the concert the previous night. Seeing her idols performing in front of her was a dream come true. "Don't flatter yourself Reg. But U2, God they were amazing. Last night was amazing." she sighed dreamily. "It was my pleasure baby doll." he smirked, "So what say you and I go out again today?" Betty frowned in thought. "Where?" she asked curiously. "It's a surprise. I'll come by right away so you have exactly 5 minutes to get ready." he announced. "It'll take me longer than that Reg." she pointed out but he had hung up. Sighing she put the receiver down. She had hoped to call Archie today but it didn't look like she would have a chance. Maybe when she got back she would. She got up and went to take a shower. She came out of the bathroom and noticed her bedroom door open. Not remembering having left it open, Betty closed it frowning and turned to her bed where she had laid out the clothes she would be wearing. She let out a scream at the sight that met her. Reggie sat on the bed staring wide eyed at her, apparently too embarrassed to say anything. She pulled the towel tighter around her body. He gulped and looked down. "I- I- you closed the door. I didn't know. I- I-" he stammered searching for words. "Reggie please leave." she managed to say avoiding his eyes. He nodded and walked out of her bedroom closing the door behind him. She slapped her forehead in frustration.

* * *

His breathing was still uneven as he sat on the sofa in front of the TV. It was on but he couldn't concentrate on a single thing on the screen. His mind wandered to those beautiful blonde locks and tresses that framed her face as she held that white towel around her lithe figure. She had stood on her toes as she latched her bedroom door causing the towel to hike higher showing off her long shapely legs. He'd had no idea how to react. He wanted to point out that he was in the room and even tease her for not noticing, but for some reason, his mind had stopped working when he'd taken one look at her. "Uh... Reggie." he heard a nervous voice. He turned to see Betty standing in a white knee length summer dress with floral prints on it. She looked stunning. "Hey." he responded rubbing the nape of his neck. "I'm really sorry about that." she said fiddling with her fingers. "No I'm sorry." he quipped, "I should've warned you I was in there. It all happened so fast I didn't- I couldn't-" he stumbled for words. "Can we just act like it never happened?" she suggested blushing a deep red. "Yeah sure." Reggie sighed in relief. A small smile played on her lips. "So where are you taking me?"

* * *

"We're going to the beach?" she asked him looking incredulous. "Why didn't you tell me? I would've brought my swimsuit." she pouted. He looked at her and grinned. "I just thought of it while driving." he shrugged. "What?" she turned to him wide eyed. "So 'it's a surprise' was code for 'I haven't decided yet'?" she shook her head at him. "Why?" she asked. That one word caused him to freeze. Why was she asking him that? Did she know? But when he turned to look at those big blue eyes, he realized she was still clueless as to his intentions. "What? I can't take a friend out sometime?" he shrugged pretending to look hurt. She rolled her eyes. "Come on Reggie, I know you better than that. Spill!" she said crossing her arms on her chest. "I'll tell you when the time's right." he smirked. "Come on! Oh oh I know what it is! You need a favour from me! Um... Is it a girl's number? It's some girl's number you want isn't it? Come on tell me! Who is it?" she exclaimed excitedly. He simply smiled and said nothing. "Come on Reggie! You're driving me nuts!" she said frustratedly. "I'll tell you when it's time." he said sagely. She rolled her eyes. "But why the beach? And why is it so crowded?" she asked inquisitively as he parked his car. They both got out and then it struck her. She remembered seeing posters all over the town of some summer carnival they were having at the beach. There would be food stalls, game stalls, concerts by local bands and a lot more, she had read. She followed Reggie as they walked along looking at the various stalls. "Juggie!" she called as she saw her lean friend standing in line outside a hotdog stall. "Bets!" He waved grinning at her. She ran to him and gave him a hug as Reggie walked behind her. "This place looks great!" she said looking around. "It does." Jughead sighed as he looked at all the food stalls around them. Betty giggled at the starry eyed look on his face. "So is Archie here?" she asked suddenly. Jughead turned to her slowly, his brow crinkled in confusion. "Didn't he tell you?" he began slowly. "That he'll probably be coming at night!" Reggie chimed in throwing Jughead a warning glance. Jughead looked at him in confusion but didn't say a word. "Oh that's great!" Betty said cheerfully, "Can we stay that long though?" she added looking hopefully at Reggie. "Um... yeah sure." he said uncertainly. She gave him a quick smile before spotting a stall selling jewelry. "Ooh! I'm going to go check that out!" she waved as she went to see it. "Alright needle-nose, you're going to keep quiet about Archie not being here, do you understand?" he said threateningly. "Why?" Jughead asked with a raised eyebrow. "Well, uh, because Betty's with me tonight and I don't want her to know freckle-snoot ain't here. It'll ruin her mood." he said proud of his last minute idea. However Jughead didn't seem to buy it. He still looked at him in an unimpressed manner. "Fine. What's it gonna take?" Reggie asked sulkily. "You pay for everything I eat tonight." Jughead grinned. Reggie rolled his eyes and nodded. "I'll take $50 in advance, thank you very much." Jughead said with an outstretched hand. Grumbling, Reggie handed the money to him before turning and walking towards Betty. "How much is this?" he overheard her asking the man behind the stall. "$40." the man said in a bored tone glancing at the necklace in her hand. She gulped before placing it back. "You want it?" Reggie asked. "No." she said her voice slightly high pitched. "We'll take it." Reggie nodded to the man, taking out his wallet. "Reggie no!" she hissed. "It's just $40 Bets." he drawled. She hit him on the arm. "No!" she said looking furious. He grinned. When she frowned, her nose scrunched up a bit. It was something he couldn't help find extremely adorable. "Come on Bets." he said coaxingly as he lightly tapped her nose. "Reggie stop it!" she said covering her face, but he could tell she was laughing at his strange gesture. He paid the man and took the necklace from him. She uncovered her face and stared at him with those big blue eyes, trying to figure out if he bought it. When she saw it in his hands, she growled at him. "Woah there!" he said holding his hands up in defense, grinning all the while. "You are incorrigible Reggie Mantle!" she shouted as she stalked away furious. He ran after her trying to get her to listen to him but she refused to stop. She very carefully melted into the crowd before he had a chance to stop her. He tried to call out for her but he couldn't find her. Frustrated, he walked around for a while hoping to see her at some stall but to no avail. He noticed it was getting dark as he continued looking for her, stopping and greeting a few people he knew on the way. As he leaned on a tree in frustration, the soft music a band was playing gave him an idea. He ran to them and climbed on the stage. The band members looked alarmed as onlookers called out to him. Some couples who had been dancing to the music frowned and told him to get down. "Dude not cool man." the lead singer shook his head. "Just give me the mic. I'll be a second." Reggie said before grabbing the mic from him. "Betty! Betty Cooper!" he said slowly into the mic. A hush fell over the place as people looked at each other in confusion. "Babe! Come on!" he sighed. Immediately some guys hooted as some girls giggled at him. "Betty I'm sorry I bought you that necklace. I just thought it would look good on you." he whined into the mic enjoying the attention. "Was it as ugly as your face?" some guy called out to him as his friends laughed. "Your mom thought my face was really attractive last night. But then again she didn't see much of my 'face', when you think about it." Reggie retorted without missing a beat. The beach went wild as calls of "Buurn." echoed over the crowd. The guy who had made the comment growled as him and his friends walked towards the stage angrily. "Betty I would really appreciate it if you showed yourself now." Reggie said, sounding slightly nervous as he eyed the muscular group that seemed to be out for his blood. "God Reggie you are such a jerk!" resounded in the air and he grinned as he looked down to see a blue pair of eyes looking at him angrily. He helped her on to the stage as the group of men stepped on it as well. "Guys he's a jerk! Don't listen to him." she said rolling her eyes as the men looked at her unconvinced. "In fact, I'm breaking up with him tonight." she said turning to Reggie. The crowd hooted and called out things like "Bad luck!" "Ouch!" "Ooh!" A smirk spread on the guy's face as he looked from Betty to Reggie and back. Reggie remained silent through the whole thing, unsure of what to do. "Come on you idiot! Even though you don't deserve any better, I'm a bigger person and therefore I will officially break up with you in private." she said in a huff as she tugged at his arm. He followed obediently not saying a word as people called after them to continue the show on stage. After she dragged him a considerable distance away from the stage and in a more quiet area, she turned to him dropping his arm. "What was that?" she yelled at him. "I could ask you the same." he said flinching at her tone. "I just saved your sorry butt!" she growled. "I know I know. Thanks. You can really think on your feet Cooper." he grinned. The frown didn't leave her face. "Admit it! You thought it was cute when I got on stage and called out to you." he said waving his arms dramatically, with a twinkle in his eyes. She remained unmoved. "Come on Bets!" he teased as he tried to tickle her. "Reggie don't!" she shouted as she moved back, "No! Reggie! Stop!" she giggled as she backed up against a tree. Chuckling, he put his arms on either side of her face, taking support from the tree. Only when she looked up did he realize their proximity. The smile vanished from her face and embarrassment seemed to replace it. "Reggie, I-" she opened her mouth but nothing came out. His thoughts were all meddled up. He wanted to move away from her but those beautiful eyes just kept pulling him in. He moved a little closer. She didn't push him away. "Reggie we should-" she whispered as her eyes seemed to flutter shut of their own accord. "Reggie!" someone called out snapping both of them out of their trance. Reggie pulled away and looked up to see Chuck and Nancy waving at him. He gulped before throwing them a smile. Betty moved away from the tree and their smiles vanished as they noticed her for the first time as the tree had been slightly obstructing their view. "Oh- um- is this a bad time?" Nancy asked as she and Chuck exchanged knowing looks. Both Reggie and Betty shook their head as Betty composed herself and hugged Nancy. Reggie nodded at Chuck, his head still spinning. "Let's go check out the clothes stall." Betty said and they all followed her as she led the way. They quickly changed the topic to avoid the awkward silence and soon the almost kiss was forgotten. Well, almost forgotten.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Reggie cursed under his breath as he lay awake staring at his ceiling. Damn Betty and her inviting lips! Two dates and he seemed more affected than her. He couldn't let this happen. He'd awkwardly asked her to come to the inaugration of the new mall in Riverdale with him. Only very few people had been invited on the first day and Reggie's father had been one of them. As expected, she had given him a small smile and shaken her head. "I think I'll pass Reg. You should go though. Maybe get me something from there?" she had joked meekly. "Yeah maybe I'll ask Cheryl." he'd shrugged. He had thought, just for a moment, her smile had faltered, but he may have been mistaken because the next second she nodded with a big smile on her face, waved at him and walked to her door. With a frown still plastered on his face, he fell asleep.

When he woke up in the morning, his first thought was to call Cheryl. He'd heard the mall was much bigger than the Riverdale mall and way better. Since he'd lost the money from Veronica, he might as well enjoy a date, he thought as he slowly got out of bed. But as he picked up the phone, there was a light knock on his door. His mom slowly opened it and came in. "Morning Mo- Woah! Are you crying?" he looked at his mother alarmed. She was dabbing her eyes and sniffling. "What happened?" he crossed over to his room and grabbed her arms looking at her, slightly panicked. "It's- it's your great grandfather's brother, Uncle Richard. He passed away this morning." she sobbed. He pulled her to his chest and shushed her as he racked his brain to remember who this great uncle of his was. "You met him when you were 5, do you remember?" she wept, "He was so fond of me when I was a child Reggie." It struck Reggie. He did remember his great uncle. He had been an ameable old man when he had met him but he hardly remembered considering it was so long ago. However, seeing his mother this way hurt him and he continued hugging her as she sobbed in his chest. "It's- it's ok. Were you going out?" she said pulling away and wiping her eyes. He shook his head. "I'm not leaving you Mom." he said as he hugged her again. The doorbell rang and he led her to her room, laid her on the bed and went to get the door. He was surprised to see Betty standing at the door looking slightly nervous. "Hi." he muttered suddenly realizing he was still in the t shirt and boxers he slept in the previous night. "Hey." she said looking down, a blush creeping into her cheeks. "Listen, I've been thinking," she began, "About these past two days-" She was interrupted by Mrs. Mantle's voice calling from upstairs. "Reggie who is it?" "It's Betty, Mom." he called back but he turned to see Betty's eyes widen. "Is- is your Mom crying?" she asked pushing him aside. "Is it that obvious?" he asked sheepishly. "Where is she?" Betty asked. Reggie led her up to her room. "My great grandfather's brother passed away." he whispered to her as he knocked on his parents' bedroom door and swung it open. "Oh Mrs. Mantle!" Betty cried as she went and hugged Mrs. Mantle. Both the ladies held each other and wept. He gulped as he felt tears prickle the corners of his own eyes. "You need to get some rest." she consoled her and lay Mrs. Mantle back on the bed. Slowly getting up, she went outside and closed the door silently. She turned to him and whispered, "I'm so sorry Reggie." "It's fine. I don't really remember him too well." he shrugged as he turned away but he felt her arm on his. He turned back to look at her and she threw her arms around him. He froze in shock but slowly managed to wrap his arms around her waist. She was standing on her toes, he noticed. As she held him tight, he noticed how her hair smelt like coconuts and the beach. He gently tilted his head sideways so he could get a better whiff. His arms travelled slowly upwards stroking her back in a gentle motion. She arched her back slightly and he felt her chest press up against his. It was maddening. The doorbell rang again and they jumped away from their embrace embarrassed. It was Mr. Mantle. He had taken the day off to spend with his wife. "You kids can go if you had any plans." he said wearily, glancing at his sleeping wife. "No." Reggie said firmly coming out of his bedroom after having changed, "I'm not leaving Mom when she needs me." Then turning to Betty, he added more softly, "You should go though." She shook her head. "I want to stay." she said, "And besides, when everyone finds out, they'll come over to offer their condolences. We should prepare some refreshments. I'll take care of that." Mr. Mantle gave her a grateful smile as Mrs. Mantle stirred. "Thanks Betty." he said as he went in to check on her. Reggie followed Betty as she went into his kitchen. "Betty why did you stay? I can handle the refreshments." Reggie said, slightly annoyed. "I wanted to help Mrs. Mantle, Reggie." she said bustling around the kitchen. "Help me find some ingredients, will you?" she said in an authoritative voice. He rolled his eyes as he helped her cook.

Betty had been right. Soon, people started pouring in to see Mrs. Mantle and offer their condolences. Betty and Reggie stayed with the guests all day, serving refreshments and giving them company when Mrs. Mantle felt too upset to. A few people even commented how sweet it was that Reggie's girlfriend came to help out, at which Betty blushed furiously and explained to them that she was only a friend. Reggie, on the other hand, stayed quiet and acted sullen throughout the evening. Something that didn't miss Betty's attention. In fact, Betty found she hardly missed anything Reggie did as she found herself looking at him so often. She wasn't sure what was happening to her but those butterflies in her stomach were getting very hard to ignore. As evening fell, the number of people visiting dwindled and the last few people filed out. Betty began clearing the table as Mrs. and Mr. Mantle, both exhausted, excused themselves up to their room. Reggie got up and started picking up the plates on the dining table, following Betty into the kitchen. As he placed the last of the glasses into the dishwasher, he turned to see Betty leaning on the counter and staring at him. He raised an eyebrow at her and she immediately looked away. "Bets, you alright?" he asked uncertainly. He'd caught her looking at him quite a few times that night and was beginning to wonder if he'd done something wrong. "No nothing." she shrugged looking away. "Come on Bets. Something's bothering you. I knew I shouldn't have asked you to do all this work. You must be tired." he said rubbing the nape of his neck. Betty shook her head. "No that's not it." she said. "Then what is it?" he asked. "I just thought it was really sweet you cancelled your date with Cheryl to be with your mom, that's all." she mumbled turning a deep red. He raised an eyebrow and then smiled. "Betty I didn't ask Cheryl out." he shrugged. She turned to him wide eyed. "Why not?" she asked uncertainly. "Well I didn't get a chance." he shrugged. "Oh." she said turning away from him once more, expressionless. "Why?" he asked cautiously as he drew closer to her. "Nothing." she said firmly. "What did you think?" he said reaching out to touch her hand. She angrily pulled it away. "Nothing! I thought nothing Reggie! Drop it!" she shouted and then looked surprised at her own outburst. Reggie cornered her against the kitchen counter. "What's wrong Bets?" he asked, looking concerned. "I just thought you wanted to go with me." she muttered softly. "I did. But you said no, remember?" he said watching her closely. She looked up into his eyes. "So I'm just replaceable?" she asked, her eyes welling with tears. "No Betty, you know that's not true." he said forcefully, feeling astonished and embarrassed. "I should go Reggie." she said wiping her eyes and trying to push him away but he refused to budge. "Reggie move!" she said pushing him more forcefully. He grabbed her hands and looked down at her. "Betty please." he pleaded. She shook her head as she slipped out of his grasp and ran out the door.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

"I'm just replaceable?" The question kept replaying in his head sending a pang of guilt through his chest. He hadn't realized how much Betty's words and actions affected him till that one question had left her lips. He had left her numerous missed calls and voice mails but she never called him back. Agonized, he finally decided to pay her a visit. He needed to see her.

After a sharp rap on the door, Mrs. Cooper opened the door. "Hello Reggie." she looked pleasantly surprised and he greeted her sheepishly. Her surprise was justified by the fact that he hadn't visited them since middle school. Betty and he had just drifted apart after that. Though they both met at Pop Tate's sometimes and occasionally hung out with their mutual friends, he realized they had both gotten too busy with their own lives, friends and love interests to maintain the friendship they had earlier. He was led into the drawing room and sat down on the sofa as his train of thought continued. A grin spread on his face as he remembered how he would annoy Betty and applaud himself when he got a reaction out of her. His trip down memory lane was interrupted when he heard footsteps coming towards the room. He stood up and turned around swiftly to see Betty standing at the door. She wore a pink t shirt and faded jeans and was staring at him with a look of concentrated nonchalance. He swallowed nervously as he shoved his hands into his jeans pockets. "Hey Bets." he muttered mentally cursing himself. Despite having dragged himself to her house with the intention of apologizing, he realized he had no idea how to. He half wished he could walk out the door and prepare a speech before walking back in. She nodded and he could tell from her swollen eyes that she hadn't slept well the previous night. "Bets can we-" he paused as he saw Mrs. Cooper dusting the table in the next room, discreetly trying to listen in. "Can we talk outside?" he glanced at Betty hopefully. She shrugged as she meandered out of the house with Reggie close behind. She stopped on the doorstep but he continued walking. Slightly surprised she followed him and soon fell into step with him. They walked quietly each trying to comprehend the other's silence. Finally they entered the Riverdale park and he sat down on a bench. She did not do the same but folded her arms across her chest and stared blankly at him. Uncomfortable, Reggie stood up as well and cleared his throat. "Betty listen. About yesterday." he paused, fumbling for words.

"Reggie it's fine. Let's just forget it." she sighed, "I was just tired and had no idea what I was saying. I want you to know that I have absolutely no problem with you taking anyone out on a date. And why should I, right?"

Despite the way it was framed, Reggie had a feeling it wasn't meant as a rhetorical question. "Betty the last few days with you have been amazing." he exhaled.

"Reggie forget it." she said sharply.

"Betty wait!" he called to her as she turned and began to walk away. "Reggie forget it." she called out to him once again. "Betty we need to talk." he exclaimed feeling frustration and anger boil inside him as he followed her. "Forget it Reggie." she uttered once again speeding up her pace as she tried to get away from him.

"Stop saying that!" he said as he angrily grabbed her hand and pulled her to him. Caught off balance, she crashed into his chest and grabbed his shoulders for support. Reflexively, he caught her waist as he steadied her. "Listen to me!" he breathed deeply. "No!" she said as she tried to shove him away. "Betty!" he tried to hold her despite her struggles, getting alarmed at the suspicious glances he was getting from passers-by. "Betty can we please deal with this like civilized adults?" he exclaimed angrily but she refused to listen as she began hitting his chest in her urgency to free herself from his grasp.

He didn't know what caused him to do what he did next. He felt his brain screaming at him to do it and his body could hardly refuse. Steadying her hands for just a second, it was all the time he needed. He pressed his lips to hers with his hands still firmly holding hers. He could feel her freeze and he was afraid she would resist with even more fervour than before but he was pleasantly surprised when she seemed to melt under his caress. She freed her arms from his and wrapped them around his neck pulling him closer. He, in turn, put his arms around her waist and gently stroked her side with his thumb. He felt her whimper into his mouth as they kissed languidly. Blood was pounding in his ears as he gently nibbled on her lower lip. She opened her mouth for him but he broke the kiss and instead placed soft gentle kisses along her jawline. "Reggie." she whimpered causing him to kiss her once again. But this time she broke away from him. He looked at her questioningly and the side of her mouth hitched up in a smile. "I hoped you would do that. I really did." she giggled breathlessly.

He managed to chuckle. "So that's what yesterday was about?" he teased her. She smacked his arm playfully. "No! Well ok maybe." she blushed. He placed a soft kiss on her lips again. "Well considering you're not mad at me anymore, maybe we could still go check out that mall." he grinned cheekily. "Who says I'm not mad at you?" she asked batting her eyelashes at him and smirking.

"God you're beautiful." he grinned as he playfully put his arm around her shoulder and pulled her close. She blushed deeply.

"The past few days have been amazing Reg," she said a deep pink tinting her cheeks, "And I really enjoy spending time with you." He smiled at her. A genuine smile that made her toes curl. "So do I Bets."


	7. Chapter 7

**Chap 7**

Betty lay in bed staring at her ceiling and sighing contentedly as sunlight streamed through her curtains onto the bed. She could claim for certain what she had believed to be her state of being for the longest time, she was in love. Madly and deeply so.

She had always felt an undeniable attraction towards Reggie but she had always dismissed it the minute Archie crossed her path. This attraction had been nothing serious, mere admiration for the tall handsome man he had grown up to be. But then he had woken up early in the morning just to go running with her. She knew he didn't wake up before 10 usually. He had offered her those darn tickets. And then they'd danced and she had felt scared. Scared of how much she realized she truly wanted to be near him, to be with him. Then there was the beach and the darn necklace and she had almost fallen prey to her own desires, had it not been for Chuck and Nancy. But then she had seen this new side of him the next day. The way he had been so protective and concerned for his mother, the way he had held her hand when she felt too overwhelmed to speak. Betty had found herself wishing it was her hand in his. That was when she had free-fallen in air straight into a big ol' pot of love.

After their kiss the previous day, he had taken her to Pop's and they'd had ice cream sundaes finding excuses to steal kisses from each other all the while. He'd dropped her home that evening complete with walking her to the door. It had been amazing.

To her utter amazement, she found she did not want to call Archie anymore. She was over him. She realized that despite how much she tried to pacify herself into believing otherwise, Archie always did prefer Veronica over her. And now when the thought crossed her mind, she realized she didn't mind.

She had Reggie and he was all she needed. He was caring and nice and he genuinely liked her, she could tell. She finally got out of bed and peeked out her window. He was probably still asleep as his curtains were drawn and lights switched off.

She took a shower and changed into her favorite dress. Pulling her hair up in a high pony, she applied some light makeup and practically skipped out of the house. She went to his place and knocked on the door. Mrs. Mantle opened the door smiling at her almost cheekily. "He's still asleep." She said before Betty could open her mouth. Betty blushed deeply.

"You can go wake him up though. It is getting very late." Mrs. Mantle shrugged with a small smile.

Betty shyly went upstairs and lightly knocked on his door. There was no response. She creaked it open and snuck in. His dark ruffled hair was all she could see on the pillow. Tiptoeing to the bed, she lay down beside him, though on top of the covers. He looked so peaceful. Playfully, she nudged his cheek. "Reg." she said. He didn't stir. "Reg." she poked him again. No response. "Reg!" she nudged his cheek slightly harder this time. He groaned in his sleep. "5 more minutes Mom." He whined.

She giggled. Clearing her throat, she announced in an authoritative voice, "Get up right now young man!" He groaned and sleepily opened one eye. She burst out laughing at the astonished expression on his face. It quickly changed into one of playful annoyance.

"Come here you!" he said as she squealed and jumped off the bed. He was too quick for her however and he grabbed her hand and pulled her back onto the bed.

"Let me go Reggie!" she said between giggles. He wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her into his chest. She struggled for a while but slowly felt herself relax when he placed soft kisses on her cheek. She turned a deep red. "Reggie stop it," she said half-heartedly, "Your parents might come in."

"Should've thought about that before you came in and woke me up looking as delicious as you do." He said his voice sounding slightly deeper with sleepiness.

"Reg!" she smacked his arm looking slightly appalled.

"What?" he whined, "I can't flirt with my girl?"

She froze against his chest and he was afraid she could hear how fast his heart was beating.

"Your girl?" she asked slowly, shifting to look at him.

Embarrassed, he cleared his throat before shrugging. "I mean- after yesterday- you know- I thought- only if you want to I mean." He struggled for words.

A slow smile spread on her face. "I do want to." She whispered.

Her breath caught in her throat as he captured her lips with his. It was bliss the way he caressed her cheek. It was bliss the way he held her close. And it was bliss the way he was completely and undeniably hers.

He pulled away and nuzzled her neck playfully. She smiled and snuggled up closer to him and they lay in an embrace consumed by a comfortable silence. He placed a soft kiss in her hair and she felt his soft warm breaths on her forehead. She looked up to see he had fallen asleep once more and so she gently turned away and slowly moved his arm off of her.

Getting off the bed, she was startled by a sharp ringing sound. She tried to look for the phone to silence it but couldn't find it. She finally saw it peeking from under a pile of clothes on the sofa and quickly sifted through to pick it up. However the call went to voicemail before she could.

"Bets?" she heard a groggy voice from behind her.

"Sorry" she said guiltily turning to look at him rubbing his eyes.

"Nah it's ok. Who was it?"

"I don't know. It went to voicemail. Do you want me to check?"

"Yeah go ahead."

She picked up the phone and saw it was Veronica. She played the message and was greeted by a second's silence before she heard Ronnie's voice crisp and clear.

"Hey Reggie, I need a report on the Betty situation. Arch spoke to Jughead the other day and he said she almost found out the other day. You aren't being careful enough. Listen to me clear buddy. I'm not paying you to slack on the job. Betty cannot, and I mean cannot find out about Arch being in Mauritius with me, do you understa-"

The message was cut off when Reggie grabbed the phone and shut it off, his face pale.

Betty stared at him silently expressionless. "Betty I can explain." He began. She turned on her heel and walked out of his room.

"Betty please listen to me!" he ran after her but she didn't turn back. He grabbed her hand but she pulled free and without turning back, walked straight out the door leaving him standing there, his head in his hands.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Reggie stared at his phone disbelievingly. It had been 2 days since Betty had found out about Veronica's scheme and he had called her, tried to visit her but to no avail. She refused to talk to him or meet him. So when he saw his phone screen telling him he had a message from Betty, he could hardly believe it. He immediately opened the message and read through it with concentration.

'_Don't worry, I won't tell Ronnie. Take your money. You worked hard enough for it.'_

He read and reread the message feeling his heart sink lower and lower every time he did. He wished he could tell her. He wished he could undo what had happened.

Despite having known Betty all his life, he realized he had never thought about her the way he did about all those other girls. She was beautiful but she was, well, Betty. The girl next door who went out of her way to help others and who he loved to annoy. The girl who was madly in love with Archie despite the fact that she only played second fiddle to Veronica. But Veronica's stupid offer had thrown them together and he realized he'd never really known her. She was so much more. She was funny and smart and silly and a hopeless romantic. The day she'd found out about Veronica and Archie's holiday, he'd seen the way she looked at him. She did care for him even though he thought it unlikely it was as much as he did for her.

He had no other way of putting it. He'd tried to ignore it for a while and then he'd tried to give it other names but it never worked. He finally had to admit to himself that what he felt for Betty was love. Hopeless, crazy, stupid love.

He fell on his bed frustrated. Why had he let this happen?

He picked up his phone and read the message again. Enraged at how much it hurt him, he hurled it across the room and it fell onto the floor after hitting the wall. His bedroom door was flung open and his mother stared in concern at him.

"Reggie what was that noise?" she asked alarmed. He shrugged angrily. She looked down to see the broken phone at her feet. She put her hands on her hips and sighed dejectedly.

"Girl problems?" she asked. He sulked quietly. She picked up the phone and sat down on the bed next to Reggie with it in her hand. "Betty?" she asked. He sighed. "What happened?"

And just like that Reggie found himself telling his mother everything. Right from his meeting with Veronica to Betty finding out about it two days ago. She listened silently and looked upset with him when he was done. "What you did was wrong Reggie," she said, "But I really feel like you like her and if you do then you need to go and apologize."

"How can I? She won't talk to me." He exclaimed angrily.

"Well if you're going to give up that easily, then you probably don't think she's worth it." She shrugged.

"No!" he found himself shouting.

She raised an eyebrow and gave him a knowing smile.

Smiling back at her, he got up and gave her a half hug. "Thanks Mom!" he said before he ran out the door to his neighbor's house.

Mrs. Cooper opened the door. "Hello Reggie." She smiled. She obviously had no idea what had occurred over the span of the week.

"Is Betty in Mrs. Cooper?" he asked eagerly.

"She's gone to visit Veronica. She came back from Mauritius today, didn't she?"

Reggie frowned. "Thanks Mrs. Cooper." He managed to mutter lost in thought.

He got in his car and drove to the Lodge mansion.

* * *

Betty sat next to Veronica as she raved about how amazing her trip to Mauritius had been. Archie, Jughead, Midge, Nancy and Chuck were there too listening to her recount. Veronica conveniently left out the little detail that Archie had been in Mauritius with her too but Betty found that she didn't care.

Unfortunately that made her feel worse. The only person she could think about was Reggie. His dark hair and those dark brown eyes. His gorgeous smirk and the way he kissed her.

She missed him so much but she wouldn't admit that to anyone. She didn't want to admit it to herself even.

Just then Smithers came in and announced Reggie Mantle's presence. She nearly fell off her chair in shock. She found Veronica paling as well and felt hurt at the reason. Her own best friend was lying to her and was not remorseful about it either.

She wished she could excuse herself but that would make things too obvious. Upset, she just sat there stiff as a board.

She saw him enter the room from the corner of her eye. How she wanted to turn and take in his gorgeous appearance but she wouldn't let herself be caught doing that.

Everyone greeted him cheerfully but she simply nodded. Veronica was the only who noticed.

"Hi Reggie." Ronnie said in a manner that was almost condescending.

"Hey," he nodded.

"Did you have something to speak to me about?" she suggested shooting him a warning look that Betty did not miss.

"I came to talk to Betty actually." He said simply.

Betty could feel all eyes in the room on her and she turned red. "Yes?" she turned and said innocently.

"Bets I need to talk to you. Alone." He said shortly.

"Whatever you want to say, you can say in front of everyone I'm sure." She said haughtily, trying to hold back her tears as she saw him looking handsome as ever in a black t shirt and ripped jeans.

"Sure you can Reggie." Veronica sneered.

He glared at her before contemplating for a while. Finally he nodded and walked towards her.

"Betty, it's simple. I love you." He said. Betty's eyes widened as she heard Midge and Veronica gasp and the rest stare at Reggie in confusion.

"I've loved you for goodness knows how long but I only realized this past week. Because I was trying to cover up for a stupid lie, I discovered the greatest truth in my own life. You are the best thing that happened to me Betty and I'm not letting you go that easy." He blurted out.

Betty felt tears prickle her eyes as she got up and stared into his eyes.

"How could you?" she managed to whisper.

She turned to Veronica who was pale as a sheet and repeated the question, "How could you?"

Turning back to him, she continued, "You can't just do this to me Reggie. You can't just come in and say things like that. Are you still trying to save your chances of getting the money? Because I told you I wouldn't tell. I don't care about what you do. I don't care about what Archie and Veronica do. I'm over it!"

He took two steps towards her. "Really?" was all he asked.

She felt her lower lip trembling as she nodded.

"You don't care that I love you?" he asked as he continued to move closer to her.

She shook her head again letting the tears freely fall.

"Not at all?" He was so close he simply had to whisper now.

She shook her head as they both stared into each other's eyes. His were adamant and hers contained pain and hurt. She stopped shaking her head and covered her mouth as a sob escaped it. She silently nodded.

"I love you so much Betty." He said as he wiped the tears flowing down her cheeks.

"I love you too." She managed to whisper before she felt his hot lips on hers.

And she had never believed anything in her life as much as she believed those words Reggie and she had exchanged.


End file.
